Tomorrow, Montenegro will hold local elections for the municipality of Tuzi, where 12,290 voters have the right to vote. Voters are expected to be joined by 1,000 Albanians from America who have traveled to Tuzi to exercise their right to vote. In order to have a peaceful voting process and to respect the vote of Albanians, Congresswoman Lisa McClain has addressed a public letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. McClain has asked him to help ensure free and fair elections in Montenegro. Citing earlier incidents, McClain writes that American citizens entering the country to vote in elections should be allowed to express their right to vote without any pressure or intimidation from the Montenegrin government and its security services. Among other things, she asks Blinken that the American Embassy in Podgorica oversee the process and establish an open line of communication between the embassy and American citizens.
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| Letter of Lisa Mc Clain to Blinken |
McClain's letter was made public by the chairman of the association Jehona e Malësië Vilson Sinishtaj, who expressed his gratitude on behalf of the community for the direct support it constantly gives to the Albanian issue.
"This letter is just one example of the support we have received for the guarantee of free elections in the municipality of Tuzi, but also for the support of the Albanians in Montenegro and the region. This letter also proves that Albanians in search of their rights have the support of the best friends of our people, the American people and politics," writes Sinishtaj.
Full letter:
Dear Secretary Blinken,
As the co-chair of the Albanian Group of the House of Representatives, I am writing to you today asking for your help in supporting and working to ensure free and fair elections in Montenegro.
More than 1,000 American citizens are expected to travel to Tuzi, Montenegro, to exercise their right to participate in the elections in that municipality.
Many incidents of intimidation and aggression by Montenegrin officials directed at American citizens and voters in Tuzi have been recorded in the previous 2019 elections at border points, airport checkpoints, and settlements. All indications are that these incidents will intensify and multiply in the upcoming elections.
Attempts by the Montenegrin government and its institutions to judge the results through alternative channels would endanger the ideals of democracy and question the will of the people. The electorate must be free from institutional pressure and intimidation from Montenegrin institutions, especially - the Ministry of the Interior, security agents and police forces.
The approximately 1,000 Albanians with US citizenship entering the country to vote in the March 5, 2023 local elections in Tuzi should be free of pressure and intimidation from the Montenegrin government. It has been reported that the political party of the president of Montenegro, Milo Dukanovic, aims to sabotage the polling stations to repeat the said elections after the return of the diaspora to the USA.
I regard this as a credible threat and if carried out would be a blatant attempt to override the will of the people.
Oversight is needed by the American Embassy in Podgorica and an open line of communication between the embassy and American citizens should be established. This will ensure the safety of the nearly 1,000 American citizens traveling to and participating in this election.
I urge the State Department and the US Embassy in Podgorica to take active steps to ensure the safety and security of US citizens while in Montenegro and support the results of free and fair elections decided by the people. Any attempt by the Montenegrin judiciary and judicial system to judge the election results will be seen as an attempt to influence the election and disregard the free will of the voters. Albanians are completely excluded without representation in the judicial and judicial system in Montenegro. The decisions of the courts have historically been one-sided and unfair in the adjudication of Albanian cases.
Sincerely,
Lisa McClain Member of Congress.